Elevated mutation rates in tissue-culture derived plant tissues
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe totipotency of plant tissues makes them very amenable to propagation through somatic tissues. Tissue culture propagation is used to regenerate gene edited plants from single cells and to cultivate plants that are difficult to propagate sexually. In a recent paper, Davis et al. investigated the genomic…
Review: RUBY: a genetically encoded visible reporter for plant biology
Plant Science Research WeeklyA major challenge in plant biology is observing molecular events. Reporter systems such as GUS and GFP have underpinned breakthroughs in gene regulation, cell signalling and development, yet each has its constraints: Fluorescent proteins demand microscopes and low background autofluorescence, and GUS…
A boost to plant transformation: Agrobacterium expressing type III secretion system (Nature Comms)
Plant Science Research WeeklyGene manipulation in most plant species faces two major hurdles, transformation efficiency of tissue and regeneration of callus. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is the most common method of plant transformation. Transformation efficiency can range from more than half the tissue to less than…